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ERIE, Pa. -- Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio made it clear Monday that Damion Terry is still involved in the competition for the team's starting quarterback spot.

Terry, a true freshman from Cathedral Prep, had seemed to slip out of contention before Saturday. However, he showed his potential by passing for 240 yards and three TDs and rushing for 40 yards in the team's second scrimmage.

"You could assess at the beginning of the scrimmage (Saturday) that it was a three-horse race and at the end of the scrimmage it was a four-horse race," said Dantonio, who spent much of Monday's media session addressing the quarterback situation and Terry's performance.

"Realistically, we've got to see if he's consistent with his performance that he displayed on Saturday," Dantonio said of Terry. "We're going to find that out."

He also talked about Terry's performance Saturday.

"As the scrimmage progressed, he did well with the threes (third team). I sort of shrugged my shoulders and put him with the twos. Then, I sort of shrugged my shoulders and put him with the ones," Dantonio said. "It's not that complicated, you're going to play the guys that move the football down the field, that don't make mistakes and that can create."

Dantonio also compared playing a freshman quarterback to the Michigan State basketball team playing a freshman at point guard.

"(Coach) Tom Izzo plays a freshman point guard all the time. All the time, right?" he said. "When that guy asserts himself and takes control of the football team or the basketball team, that's the guy who's going to play. I don't care whether he's a senior, sophomore, junior, redshirt freshman or freshman. That's the best thing to do. Damion has to prove consistency in performance."

Michigan State opens the season Aug. 30 at home against Western Michigan.

Meanwhile, the mlive.com website posted a poll asking which of the four quarterbacks would start in the Spartans' fourth game, against Notre Dame. Through 1,600 votes, Terry ranked second with 33.9 percent of the vote. Senior Andrew Maxwell was leading with 38.8 percent.